City of the Big Shoulders. The Windy City. Hog Butcher of the World. Urbs in Horto. The City That Works. My Kind of Town. Chi-town.

That’s where my husband and I are heading. Spain’s economy, with 20% unemployment, shows no sign of improvement, and the Brexit will make things worse, so we’ve decided we have to return to the USA. We’re not the only ones driven out by the economy. Spain’s population is falling: a drop of 2.7% in 2015.

We don’t want to go. We love Spain. This is simply a question of money. We plan to live in Chicago to be near family in our home town of Milwaukee. Chicago has a lot of activity, good mass transit, and Obamacare if we need to get insurance on our own. We’ve rented an apartment, and if all goes well, we plan to move in the third week of July.

Since overseas shipping is expensive, we’re giving away a lot of books, furnishings, and appliances. Still, we’re busy packing – mostly books, files for our work, clothing, and household goods. Shipping time is about two months. This operation will take complex planning, and it will involve plenty of expenses, but we can’t afford not to go.

These days with the internet, it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with all the friends we’re leaving behind. I’ll miss them, and the food and wine and history and culture that makes Spain so easy to love. I’ll miss immersion in the language of Cervantes.

But I’ll keep translating and writing. Paris on the Prairie, Second City, the City by the Lake will be a great place to live and work.